THE alcohol management plans introduced by the Beattie Labor administration a decade ago to reduce violence in indigenous communities have always been contentious.

Just how contentious can be seen in the speed with which both sides of the debate quickly regrouped after the Newman Government recently announced it would review the plans, which ban or strictly control alcohol, in 19 communities around the state.

Health experts and academics warned that a watering down of the current system could bring a return of the booze-fuelled "war zones", which sparked the plans in the first place. The Queensland Police Union warned violence could "spiral out of control" and police numbers would have to be doubled if the bans and restrictions were overturned.

Others, including some local community leaders say it is high time a paternalistic policy is revisited. As Robert Holness, the mayor of Kowanyama, a former mission site on the Gulf of Carpentaria put it bluntly, "What other race in Australia has restrictions put on them for alcohol? No one else, only Aborigines; it seems racist to me."

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A number of Cape York indigenous communities want to see the alcohol restrictions lifted so that they can operate licensed "bistro" restaurants, serving light beers and providing somewhere for locals to socialise.

Although the alcohol management plans have been credited with reducing abuse and getting children back to school others say they have simply fuelled an increase in the abuse of other substances such as speed and marijuana as well as increasing public drunkenness problems in towns without grog bans.

The LNP Government, for its part, is honouring a pre-election commitment to review the effectiveness of a strategy that premier Peter Beattie introduced after a review by Tony Fitzgerald in 2001, which found alcohol abuse in remote communities had led to a "self-perpetuating cycle of poverty, tragedy and despair".

The Government insists it is not looking at a blanket lifting of the alcohol bans and restrictions, but rather giving local communities more say in how they manage their own affairs, an approach consistent with the LNP's broader approach of giving more autonomy back to local government authorities around the state.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural Affairs Minister Glen Elmes insists that any changes would not be at the cost of "adverse community impacts, particularly where women and children are concerned".

And that would seem the essential ingredient necessary for a sensible review of this controversial topic - a clear and quantifiable understanding of the evidence, for both sides of the debate. Those who say restrictions can be loosened and replaced with new rules that offer more self-determination and empowerment of local communities need to offer more than assurances that this can actually be achieved without risking a return to the bad old days.

And for those who argue draconian grog-bans are the only way to go, should be at least willing to listen to the argument that something more flexible and enlightened than a one-size-fits-all policy could be workable. We need more than a restatement of firmly held views, be they for or against the existing arrangements. We need a clear-eyed examination of the facts followed by considered action based on those facts.

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JUNIOR RUGBY LEAGUE TAKES ACTION

JUNIOR rugby league officials in Brisbane should be congratulated for opening a serious discussion on preventing violence on its fields. The actions of some players and parents on grand final day last month were a disgrace but that did not mean that Greater Brisbane Junior Rugby League officials would take action.

Their statements yesterday indicated that action could come in the form of banning grand finals, instead opting for a first-past-the-post system to determine premierships. That may not please every player or parent but it is clear that time has come for action.

Rugby league means too much to many people in this state to allow immature parents and over-the-top young players to spoil its name.

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Responsibility for election comment is taken by David Fagan, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld, 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND. (ACN 009 661 778). A full list of our editors and journalists, with contact details, is available at couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/ourstaff.

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